Standardizing Neonatal Body Composition Assessment Using Air Displacement Plethysmography: Insights from the Bavarian Experience
Background/Objectives: Body composition plays a crucial role in neurodevelopment and the long-term health of preterm and term infants. Air displacement plethysmography (ADP), especially with the PEAPOD<sup>®</sup> system, is well established in research and increasingly explored in clini...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/6/733 |
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| author | Lennart A. Luecke Christoph Fusch Gisela Adrienne Weiss Katja Knab Stefan Schäfer Jasper L. Zimmermann Anastasia Meis Stephanie Lohmüller-Weiß Kerstin Simon Julia Welsch Ursula Felderhoff-Müser Niels Rochow |
| author_facet | Lennart A. Luecke Christoph Fusch Gisela Adrienne Weiss Katja Knab Stefan Schäfer Jasper L. Zimmermann Anastasia Meis Stephanie Lohmüller-Weiß Kerstin Simon Julia Welsch Ursula Felderhoff-Müser Niels Rochow |
| author_sort | Lennart A. Luecke |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background/Objectives: Body composition plays a crucial role in neurodevelopment and the long-term health of preterm and term infants. Air displacement plethysmography (ADP), especially with the PEAPOD<sup>®</sup> system, is well established in research and increasingly explored in clinical practice. Building on our team’s earlier experiences, this study aimed to (1) evaluate the safety and feasibility of ADP in preterm infants, (2) identify published clinical protocols, and (3) implement and assess a standardized routine—the Bavarian Clinical Protocol (BCP). Methods: We conducted two systematic literature reviews: one on the eligibility-to-assessment rate and safety of ADP in research contexts, and a second focusing on existing clinical protocols. In addition, we retrospectively analyzed routine ADP assessments at the NICU of Nuremberg Children’s University Hospital from January 2022 to December 2024, where the BCP had been introduced. Results: The literature review included 76 studies reporting a total of 8,317 assessments without adverse events. In experimental settings, the eligibility-to-assessment rate was 41%. We identified three published clinical protocols. Following BCP implementation, 626 of 702 eligible infants (89.1%) underwent a total of 851 ADP measurements. No adverse events were observed, and repeated assessments were integrated smoothly into clinical workflows. Conclusions: ADP can be safely and effectively incorporated into neonatal routine care. The Bavarian Clinical Protocol provides a practical framework for standardized application, improves comparability across centers, and supports the clinical use of body composition data to inform individualized nutritional strategies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-56e39b3ae58a4a0fa370c258586a76f9 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj-art-56e39b3ae58a4a0fa370c258586a76f92025-08-20T02:24:34ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672025-06-0112673310.3390/children12060733Standardizing Neonatal Body Composition Assessment Using Air Displacement Plethysmography: Insights from the Bavarian ExperienceLennart A. Luecke0Christoph Fusch1Gisela Adrienne Weiss2Katja Knab3Stefan Schäfer4Jasper L. Zimmermann5Anastasia Meis6Stephanie Lohmüller-Weiß7Kerstin Simon8Julia Welsch9Ursula Felderhoff-Müser10Niels Rochow11Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Campus Charité Mitte und Charité Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, 13353 Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Medical University, Breslauer Str. 201, 90471 Nürnberg, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Medical University, Breslauer Str. 201, 90471 Nürnberg, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Medical University, Breslauer Str. 201, 90471 Nürnberg, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Medical University, Breslauer Str. 201, 90471 Nürnberg, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Medical University, Breslauer Str. 201, 90471 Nürnberg, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Medical University, Breslauer Str. 201, 90471 Nürnberg, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Medical University, Breslauer Str. 201, 90471 Nürnberg, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Medical University, Breslauer Str. 201, 90471 Nürnberg, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Medical University, Breslauer Str. 201, 90471 Nürnberg, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics I, Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care, and Pediatric Neurology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147 Essen, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Medical University, Breslauer Str. 201, 90471 Nürnberg, GermanyBackground/Objectives: Body composition plays a crucial role in neurodevelopment and the long-term health of preterm and term infants. Air displacement plethysmography (ADP), especially with the PEAPOD<sup>®</sup> system, is well established in research and increasingly explored in clinical practice. Building on our team’s earlier experiences, this study aimed to (1) evaluate the safety and feasibility of ADP in preterm infants, (2) identify published clinical protocols, and (3) implement and assess a standardized routine—the Bavarian Clinical Protocol (BCP). Methods: We conducted two systematic literature reviews: one on the eligibility-to-assessment rate and safety of ADP in research contexts, and a second focusing on existing clinical protocols. In addition, we retrospectively analyzed routine ADP assessments at the NICU of Nuremberg Children’s University Hospital from January 2022 to December 2024, where the BCP had been introduced. Results: The literature review included 76 studies reporting a total of 8,317 assessments without adverse events. In experimental settings, the eligibility-to-assessment rate was 41%. We identified three published clinical protocols. Following BCP implementation, 626 of 702 eligible infants (89.1%) underwent a total of 851 ADP measurements. No adverse events were observed, and repeated assessments were integrated smoothly into clinical workflows. Conclusions: ADP can be safely and effectively incorporated into neonatal routine care. The Bavarian Clinical Protocol provides a practical framework for standardized application, improves comparability across centers, and supports the clinical use of body composition data to inform individualized nutritional strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/6/733neonateair displacement plethysmographybody compositionlean massmethod analysisclinical routine |
| spellingShingle | Lennart A. Luecke Christoph Fusch Gisela Adrienne Weiss Katja Knab Stefan Schäfer Jasper L. Zimmermann Anastasia Meis Stephanie Lohmüller-Weiß Kerstin Simon Julia Welsch Ursula Felderhoff-Müser Niels Rochow Standardizing Neonatal Body Composition Assessment Using Air Displacement Plethysmography: Insights from the Bavarian Experience Children neonate air displacement plethysmography body composition lean mass method analysis clinical routine |
| title | Standardizing Neonatal Body Composition Assessment Using Air Displacement Plethysmography: Insights from the Bavarian Experience |
| title_full | Standardizing Neonatal Body Composition Assessment Using Air Displacement Plethysmography: Insights from the Bavarian Experience |
| title_fullStr | Standardizing Neonatal Body Composition Assessment Using Air Displacement Plethysmography: Insights from the Bavarian Experience |
| title_full_unstemmed | Standardizing Neonatal Body Composition Assessment Using Air Displacement Plethysmography: Insights from the Bavarian Experience |
| title_short | Standardizing Neonatal Body Composition Assessment Using Air Displacement Plethysmography: Insights from the Bavarian Experience |
| title_sort | standardizing neonatal body composition assessment using air displacement plethysmography insights from the bavarian experience |
| topic | neonate air displacement plethysmography body composition lean mass method analysis clinical routine |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/6/733 |
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